7 Anime Villains Better Than Pain, Ranked

Pain is one of the most powerful, as well as best written villains in Naruto series. Pain stood tall as the leader of Akatsuki at one point and was a thorn in his own right Naruto's side, and his influence in the story was enormous. Unlike the norm, Pain was not a villain who sought destruction for the sake of it. There was a meaning behind every single action he did, and that's what made him exciting. He was primarily responsible for delivering one of the most iconic shonen arcs of all time, and it goes without saying that he ranks among the best villains in all of Naruto series. However, Pain is far from the best anime villain. There are many villains, both old and new, who do many things better than him and are superior to him in a variety of ways.

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Frieza

When it comes to pure evil, few can come close Frieza from Dragon Ball. While his legacy became something of a joke in the sequel series, Dragon Ball sees Frieza reign as the true representation of evil, killing for fun and bringing chaos and destruction wherever he goes. Frieza also served as an inspiration for many writers to create iconic anime villains, and that alone makes him much better than Pain.

Not only did Frieza stand tall as an untouchable enemy at first, but he also killed off some of the most important characters in the main cast, shocking both Goku and the fans. He also spawned one of the most iconic transformations ever in a shonen series that went on to define the genre forever. For all these reasons, Frieza is really much better than Pain.

Ryomen Sukuna

Ryomen Sukuna is the main villain in Jujutsu Kaisenand he's certainly an exciting opponent for the leads to face. While Pain had his reasons for seeking the destruction of his enemies, Sukuna simply destroys things because he can. As the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna is virtually unmatched in the world of Jujutsu Kaisenwith the sole exception of Gojo Satoru.

Sukuna brings greater chaos and fear than Pain ever did. On top of that, he is the primary antagonist in his series, while Pain is outclassed by many others later on. Sukuna also kills a lot of major characters and leaves nothing but hopelessness for the main cast, and that's something that Pain fails to do.

Meruem

When it comes to villain depth, few can compete Meruem from Hunter x Hunter. This ant continued to grow throughout the Chimera Ant Arc, showing the evolution of an ant from a destructive weapon to a more humanized entity.

In Meruem, Togashi created a weapon that could wipe out all of humanity, but at the same time gave him the growing essence of a human. Pain is remembered as a complex villain, but Meruem really surpasses him in this regard.

Dio Brando

Anime: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Another character purely defined by their charisma and evil is Diofrom Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Dio is known to be a rather chaotic individual right from the start, but as the story progresses, he becomes more complex as a character. However, his core identity of being chaotically evil never changes. Dio's reasons for being a villain are very different from Pain's. While the latter actually strives to improve the world, Dio simply wants to create chaos for his own gain. This makes him a compelling villain and a phenomenal adversary for the leads to face, be it Jonathan Joestar, who he inflicts immense amounts of pain on, or Jotaro. Dio has done more than enough to turn their lives upside down, as any competent villain should.

In addition, Dio also has a huge influence in the overall story of Jojo's bizarre adventures. Without him, the series would simply collapse. The vast majority of the main characters, both heroes and villains, are heavily influenced by him in one way or another. His influence in the story alone makes him better than Pain.

Madara Uchiha

Madara naruto Anime Villains Better Pain naruto

In the world of NarutoPain is often considered one of the most exciting villains, but even he can't compete with Madara Uchihathe true representation of fear and chaos in the story. Like Pain, Madara also sought peace, but in his own way. Besides, he was much more feared than anyone else.

Madara's name alone could trigger an entire war, causing the entire world to unite, and he single-handedly managed to decimate those who stood in his way, displaying immense strength. Madara was the true representation of strength in the series, and the display he put on certainly made him much better than Pain. Unfortunately, his conclusion wasn't anywhere near as good as Pain's, but overall Madara stands tall as the best villain in the entire Naruto franchise.

best anime villains - jojo, jujutsu kaisen, promised neverland

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The best anime villains of all time

Great antagonists are what make a story interesting, and these anime villains are arguably among the best of all time.

Kaido

In the world of One Piecemany villains may represent strength, but the true embodiment of it is none other than Kaido. Kaido stood tall as one of the Four Emperors of the Sea and served as the villain of the Wano Country Arc, ruling the land he enslaved for 20 years with an iron fist. Kaido killed and slaughtered all the noble families in the land and completely crushed the spirits of the samurai. He crushed all dissenters, and on top of that, he showed what true cruelty meant.

Kaido wanted to create a pirate nation that could oppose the World Government and eventually bring it down. Wanting to create his own world of equality where only strength mattered, Kaido did what he could to destroy the current world order and bring about a new era. No doubt he's a phenomenal villain, especially because of what he represents, and he's arguably far better than Pain.

Donquixote Doflamingo

Doflamingo one piece Anime Villains Better Pain naruto

One Piece has its own cast of incredible villains, and among them are Donquixote Doflamingoa celestial dragon who considers himself superior to all others. Doflamingo is incredibly charismatic and at the same time downright evil, which is what makes him so intriguing as a villain. Unlike Pain, Doflamingo has no good intentions. Everything he does is for his own good and to shatter the society that rejected him.

Doflamingo was raised as a celestial dragon, and that in itself was his downfall. His upbringing made him a monster, but even among the Heavenly Dragons, he was extremely evil. Over the years, he committed acts that put Pain to shame, such as engaging in slavery, destroying entire nations, tearing apart families, and even going so far as to engage in trafficking and slave trading and erasing people's memories from the world. More than that, Doflamingo wanted to rise to the top as the king of the entire world, and his ambition, along with the misery he caused the main cast, makes him an incredibly compelling villain and far better than Pain.

Johann Liebert

Johann Liebert is an anime villain with no superpowers, and that's exactly why he's loved by fans as much as he is. Johann is chaos given human form, and his existence alone brings nothing but death and destruction. In it Monster Johann causes countless deaths, and every single one of them shows how dangerous he really is.

If allowed to flourish, Johann would destroy the entire world, and the fact that he can do this without power, and sometimes without even lifting a finger, just shows how dangerous he truly is. In terms of writing, there is no comparison between Johann and Pain, and he certainly stands tall as one of the best villains in all of anime, if not the best.